Sanctions: Russia strikes back with bans of food imports

Moscow: Searching for ways to hit back at Western sanctions, Russia said it would introduce a "full embargo" on most food imports from EU, US, and other Western countries.

The move came as more alarms were raised by NATO that Russia had increased the number of "combat-ready" troops on its border with Ukraine to 20,000 from 12,000 in mid-July.

The ban on imports of beef, pork, fruit and vegetable produce, poultry, fish, cheese, milk and dairy products from the European Union, United States, Australia, Canada and Norway would go into effect immediately last one year unless "our partners demonstrate a constructive approach" with regards to sanctions imposed on Russia, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said.

People would still be able to buy the banned products abroad, he said, but he warned those who try to profit from reselling them will be "harshly punished".

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Mr Medvedev promised to "prevent price increases" and use the embargo to "clear the store shelves for our producers".

President Vladimir Putin had earlier signed a decree ordering the government to ban or limit food imports from countries that had imposed sanctions on Moscow for its support of rebels in eastern Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West about counter-sanctions. Photo: AP

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko spoke by phone with US Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday and both expressed concern over statements emanating from Moscow suggesting a role for Russian "peacekeepers" in Ukraine, the White House said.

Ms Lungescu warned that "Russia could use the pretext of a humanitarian or peacekeeping mission as an excuse to send troops into eastern Ukraine".

The Kremlin rejected claims it was preparing to send its troops across the border. Major General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Defence Ministry, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying that Western officials seemed to be trying to top one another with exaggerated claims.

Fighting continued to flare in eastern Ukraine between government troops and separatist rebels, whom Russia has been accused of supporting with fighters, arms and supplies.

The United States, the European Union and other countries have hit Russia with sanctions, citing its seizure and annexation of Crimea this year and accusing Russia of supplying the missiles that rebels used to shoot down a Malaysian jetliner on July 17, killing all 298 people aboard.

Russia has used trade restrictions to make political and diplomatic points before, and in recent weeks it has banned Ukrainian dairy products, Polish apples, Australian beef, pork from various neighbours and Moldovan fruit, among other products. Beef and cattle from Romania were added to the list on Wednesday, and the Russian news media has suggested that American chicken might be next. Technical pretexts were offered for many of those bans, but the new decree on Wednesday allows them to be imposed simply because a country has imposed sanctions on Russia.

Still, there was a sense that Mr Putin wanted to respond in some way to the more sweeping sanctions imposed by the US and the European Union last week, as well as measures by Australia, Japan and other countries, without doing anything that might rebound on Russia's crucial energy industry or its high-profile deals with companies like ExxonMobil.

The measures will hit consumers at home who rely on cheap imports, and on farmers in the West for whom Russia is a big market. Moscow is by far the biggest buyer of European fruit and vegetables and the second biggest importer of US poultry.

In Ukraine, intensified fighting near Donetsk, the main rebel stronghold, caused a Dutch team of investigators working at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 to withdraw on Wednesday, saying the area had become too dangerous.

About 1300 people have been killed since April, according to the United Nations.

Civilians have been hit hardest, with more than 285,000 fleeing their homes over the past few months, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, which warned of "a massive exodus" if fighting intensifies.